Fraser: My parents and family weren't entrepreneurs, but they always let me try out new things and do whatever l wanted to do in my spare time. I was always interested in making a bit of extra pocket money and tried out all kinds of ideas. My favourite story of all is when I hatched out some chickens from eggs that I got from a local farm. I kept the eggs warm on top of the telly, and amazingly they hatched. I sold the chickens to the neighbours and that was my first ever little business.
弗雷泽:我的父母和家人都没做过生意,但是他们鼓励我在业余时间尝试一些新的东西、做自己想做的事情。我也一直想多挣些零花钱,也尝试做过其它很多事情,其中我最爱的就是我用一些从当地一家农场弄来的鸡蛋孵出了小鸡。我把鸡蛋放在电视机上保温,结果竟然神奇地孵出了小鸡。后来我把小鸡卖给了邻居,这就是我做的第一笔小生意。
Question: On those impossible days of starting up, what motivated you to keep going?
问题:在创业的艰苦时期你是如何坚持下来的?
Fraser: I was motivated by a feeling that I was doing something worthwhile with my life and by the fact that was enjoying what I was doing every step of the way.
弗雷泽:我的动力来源于一种感觉,我感觉自己正在做一件将不枉此生的事情。同时也来源于一个事实,那就是我自始至终都很享受这个过程。
Question: How do you manage the growth of your company?
问题:那你是如何管理公司的成长的呢?
Fraser: The business is growing very fast, and we're launching new products in new stores all the time. The most important things are that we have stayed focused on the idea of making 100% pure fruit jams, have focused on keeping the retailers happy, and have improved every aspect of the business as we're moving forwards.
弗雷泽:公司的业务增长得很快,我们一直都有在新的店里推出新的产品。最重要的是,我们一直专注于制作100%纯果酱,专注于保持零售商的满意度,同时也在发展壮大的过程中完善企业的方方面面。
Question: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire most?
问题:除了你自己的公司之外,你最欣赏的是哪家公司或者哪家企业?
Fraser: I admire entrepreneurs like the late Anita Roddick and other entrepreneurs who have run businesses with not only an aim of making money, but an aim of making the world a better place. Inspired by companies like theirs, I set up a charitable project over a year ago, running tea parties for lonely elderly people. We have now run over 120 tea parties, with live music, dancing, and scones and tea; some parties attracted over 500 guests. It feels great to be able to put something positive like that into the world.
弗雷泽:我欣赏像已故的安妮塔·罗迪克这样的企业家,他们开公司不仅是为了赚钱,而且还带着让这个世界变得更加美好的目的。受到这类公司的启发,一年多以前我启动了一个慈善项目,为那些孤独的老人举办茶话会。目前为止我们已经举办了超过120场茶话会,茶话会上有现场音乐、舞蹈、烤饼和茶。有些派对甚至吸引了500多名客人。能把这样积极的东西带到这个世界上感觉真的很棒。